The World of Running...

lately i've been subjecting myself to a form of torture known as running. running long distances (to me!) without training to be exact. a 5k is equal to 3.1 miles (thereabouts--i figured you didn't need the 8 decimal points...). because my friend had a new year's resolution to run a 5k, i decided that i would join her because it'd force me to get in shape, right? notsomuch. due to a busy schedule, kids (hers), and lack of motivation (mine), the running the gap 5k snuck up on us. we held our own and finished in just under 41 minutes, jogging most of the time, mind you. it was 41 minutes of positive self-talk, bodily fatigue, and eventually determination to not let one more person pass us! after we got rehydrated and ate some carbs, we felt like CHAMPIONS!! we had done it!! gracefully, no, but we had accomplished it nontheless. this led us to crazy talk, such as, "just think, if we actually trained, we could do a 10k next year," "a 1/2 marathon wouldn't be that bad," etc. etc. mind you, this was before the week of sore groins, tight calves, and shoulder pains.so how, might you ask, did i allow myself to get sucked in to another 5k race?? i'm still wondering. well, not really. at the starting line of the parks and rec "fun" run, i was wondering, but after i finished, i felt like a million bucks again and felt like i could take on the world. my time this race was 36:46:03. i improved by a bit, even with a few hills thrown into the track. it was also fun because this time, sarah and i were joined by others girls we knew, which made the experience a lot of fun. i even won some $10 socks in the drawing (i know you're jealous). now if i could just get more motivated to train, i would be a happy woman (with less tight muscles). i love how i feel when i exercise, and i just need to make the time. who knows?? maybe a 1/2 marathon is in my (fairly distant) future...

camping in wyoming--granite recreation area...
a few weekends ago, i went camping with my parents. it was such a refreshing and fun time and with such beautiful scenery. every day i thought multiple times wow, God, all of this for us?? i am amazed by His handiwork and know that He enjoyed us enjoying it.

we camped only about a 1/2 mile from granite falls. i walked there three times in four days and every time thought that i would just like to stay there for hours. it was amazing...and again, all for us to enjoy! i love my parents and treasured the time we got to spend together (though we all missed pooh and made a unanimous decision that she'd have to join us next year!).
we went to jackson hole one afternoon. we ate at bubba's bbq and it was SO tasty...pulled pork, texas toast, and yummy fries (with ranch, of course). we walked around and looked in a few stores. i decided that a)i am a cheapskate, and b)i am not a "western" type girl. it was nice to walk around though. i also got to call my man for a few minutes while we were in civilization:)

my absolute favorite past-time of the trip was reading. there's something about being in the outdoors, breathing fresh air, hearing the water trickle, and immersing yourself in an excellent book. my book of the trip, the shack. it was absolutely incredible and i think EVERYONE needs to read it. what an amazing picture it was of God's love for us and how He desires to have a relationship with each of us. He could care less what church we go to and what "good works" we do. He just wants US. i personally think i need to read it every 6 months or so, just to remind myself what life is all about. God created us for His pleasure, and He's full of joy when we find peace in him and allow Him to work in our lives. okay, enough about the book, you just need to read it! all in all, it was an amazing, much-needed weekend away. let's do it again sometime!!!

our little farm...

**sugar beets**
contrary to popular belief (one that i had before i started dating a farmer...), sugar comes from more than just sugar cane. sugar beets are another way they process granulated sugar. they use this sugar to sell in stores, as well as to sweeten candy bars, etc. my dad is pretending to eat this ugly little beet (isn't my dad's tour-of-the-farm hat cute?). hopefully the beets will be twice this big by harvest, which should start at the end of september. they are not a beautiful product once harvested, although the green fields are amazing. but because of their purpose in life, i LOVE the little guys!!

**soft white winter & hard red spring wheat**

soft white winter wheat is planted in the fall and grows until frost, goes dormant, and comes back to life in the spring. this is what is used mostly in the US to make processed foods like cereal, malt-o-meal, etc., etc. it can also be used as cow feed. conrad has done excellent with this crop, beating his average yields every year since he started. this year he got close to 135 bushel/acre. one bushel of wheat=60 pounds. prices have been up and down with the economy. we're thankful that we have some contracted with a local feed lot for a good price. we already sold some to general mills and have about 7,000 bushel in a bin waiting for the prices to go back up before we contract any more. the bin below is just the beginning...about 1/5 full at the time the picture was taken.

my parents came out a few sundays ago for the farm tour. conrad gave them a ride in the combine, and i think they both liked it a lot. God blessed us with a great combine. the header (where the wheat goes in) is 25 feet wide. the first year conrad farmed, he used an older combine with only a 15-foot header--talk about slow moving! he said the widest header they make is 40 feet. usually farmers with a lot of ground and/or custom cutters buy these bigger machines.

full house---the cab of the combine with conrad and both my parents above, and the hopper (where the kernels go after they've thrashed through the combine) below.

once the hopper is full, a little alarm beeps in the cab. that's when to go to the truck, put the unloading auger out, and fill up the truck.

once the truck is full, this is what it looks like to get the wheat into the bin. simply back the truck up so the belt is over a bin which is hooked to a large auger that uses a spiral motion to get the grain up into the bin.

hard red spring wheat won't be ready to cut for another 2-3 weeks. because it was planted in the spring, it takes more time to mature. this wheat typically goes for a higher price, but bushel/acre is usually a little lower. conrad's goal for the year is 90 bushel/acre this year. the protein in this wheat is higher, and it typically gets put on a barge to japan to make noodles, etc.

**malt barley**

these are the barley fields in rockland (maybe you recognize this from earlier pics before it was ripe...). barley is measured by 48 pounds/bushel, and is contracted by the hundredweight. God blessed this field with a plentiful harvest and it was extra great because at one point, we thought conrad would have to replant due to some crusting issues (dirt too hard to let sprouts through). thank God we didn't have to buy another $3,500 worth of seed!! i think ripe barley is beautiful with the rich color and long beards...it may be my favorite:)

thankful for the blessing of our home...
tonight we decided we should bring the previous owner's grill to her (we've been meaning to do it all summer, since she called and humbly asked us, saying, "my kids won't go get it"). she and her husband moved into town because they were having trouble getting around and maintaining the home and the acre lawn, garden, flower beds, etc. this was a very bittersweet time for them (99% bitter, 1% sweet). they'd raised their family here, both sons got married in the back yard, and they loved country life. how thankful i am that when she decided to sell (and her kids didn't want it), she came to conrad first. last june (2008), we went over and she showed us the house. each room held a memory. she modestly explained the upgrades/maintenance she and her husband had done throughout the years, and said "this home just really needs a family with kids." despite random people knocking on her door and offers over $100,000 more than what she offered it to us for, she held true to her word and we got the keys in december.

sure, there have been changes we've made, like changing the tangerine walls in the living room to a more modern dark khaki, the peach walls and lacy curtains in the master bedroom to deep garnet and shimmering bronze, and pulling out some evergreen bushes. there's definitely more we'd like to change to update. but, the fact remains, it's a great, solid home with an EXCELLENT location that we plan on being in for a long while.

when we went over tonight, after a few minutes of small-talk outside, she asked, "would you kids like to come in?" we said, "sure." she shared that it was still a hard adjustment living in town and she misses "that place" a lot. i told her i absolutely love all the flowers the planted--the tulips, peonies, roses, oriental poppies, daisies, lilies, etc., that all bloom in their cycle and then make way for the next blooms to show off their beauty. she was thrilled that i admired her flowers so much. she told me to be careful if i dug out by the rosebush in the garden because their one-eyed cat sylvester is buried there..."if you start digging into a yellow towel-stop!" at one point she said, "you kids are so sweet." more than once, she got tears in her eyes as she talked about the old house, or the changes she and her husband were trying to adjust to in town. when we were going to leave, she shook conrad's hand and then reached her arms out to me for a big hug. and i mean BIG hug...it was a genuine, long but not too long, heartfelt grandma hug. she said, "now you guys have lots of kids to fill up that house. that house needs kids." conrad said, "we'll work on it." she walked us outside and after a few more minutes, we said good night for real this time. again, she reached out to me for a hug. it was another *good* hug:) i thanked her for doing such a great job with the home and for giving conrad and i a chance at buying it. as we pulled away from the embrace, she had tears in her eyes and said, "i'm so happy for you two." i told her i'd like to have her and her husband out for dinner sometime after harvest and she said she'd love that.

thank you, God, for everything you've done to provide us with a beautiful home. we're so undeserving! help us to be good stewards and bless this precious woman and her husband who passed the home on to us. help her to see You in us in every interaction.

back to part-time...

today was my first day back to my part-time schedule--mondays and wednesdays off. full-time had its perks; more money to put toward emergency fund/getting prego, getting to know my co-workers better, becoming more competent at my job. throughout working full-time for 8 weeks, i would always think if i was home, i could be doing ______. or ________. or ________. after work, i didn't feel bad about acting like a zombie after 8 hours on my feet and dealing with the public. now i'm back to part-time. it was nice to sleep until 9:30. it was nice to do some yardwork with my kids until i couldn't stand sweating one more second. it was nice to not get ready for the day or have to find an outfit to squeeze into. it was nice to do laundry, put a movie in, and try to organize part of the office. and it has been nice to see conrad a few times during the day.

all that said.......i think i'm coming to a realization that i have to find a balance between overachiever mode and being a lazy butt. sure, there are things that need to be done, and i'm not going to let my house fall apart, but i also need to enjoy my time off. today i made the comment to conrad "i kinda wish i was still working full-time", which was my way of saying i wish i felt more productive today. i have to admit, i loved his response. he adamantly responded, "no! i want you to be able to relax. read, take a nap, play with the kids. now you have a few more days you can spend time with them, and i won't get to for a few more months. that would be awesome." isn't that cute?? :) jack and gracie love, love, LOVE attention and even "talk" to us now (now i'm starting to sound like the crazy cat lady...). i'm glad conrad doesn't have lofty expectations of me. now if i can let go of some of the expectations of myself... how can i resist more time with my kids:)

**jack&gracie**

I Would Die For That

Phil Stacey - You're Not Shaken (from the album Into The Light)
I am sinking in a river that is raging
I am drowning, will I ever rise to breathe again
I want to know why
I just want to understand
Will I ever know why
How could this be from Your hand

When every little thing that
I have dreamed would be
Just slips away like water through my hand
And when it seems the walls of my belief are crashing down
Like they're all made of sand
I won't let go of You now, because I know
You're not shaken

I'm trembling in the darkness of my own fear
All the questions with no answers still grip me while I'm here
And I may never know why I may not understand
But I will lift up my eyes
And trust this is Your plan

When I am in the valley of the shadow of death
You're not shaken, You're not shaken
You're right here beside me and You have never left
You're not shaken, You're not shaken

***okay, i decided to blog something worthwhile....this song says it all for me right now.....now if only i can believe it...

a one sentence blog (who'd of thought i could keep it to that???)...
life's been crappy lately--a whole mix of things--i seriously just don't know, but this is all cuz otherwise it may look like someone just puked all over my blog!

small town shoppin'...
i usually only go shopping at the local supermarket if absolutely necessary or if i see a few good sale items in the ad. last week they had strawberries and raspberries for only $1.50, way less than anywhere in poky. however, there are other items that are outrageously priced and must be for those desparate people who can't/won't drive to the "big" city to hit up winco. anyway...one thing about grocery shopping in my little town is that they always have a bag-boy who is also the one who brings your purchases to your car. at first, it's a little embarassing having a shy teenage boy walk with you to the car, pushing your cart. however, today i was thinking you know, this is kinda cute and it's great service that they can't offer at the bigger stores in bigger cities. so even though i only got 3 gallons of milk and one bag-full of items, i was provided with service with a smile:) made me smile today:)

i don't understand...
yeah, there's a lot i don't understand about life right now, but let me just vent about one of them. conrad works his butt off doing the absolute best job a person can do on all his crops. he gives up sleep, time with me, health, financial security, etc. to do what he loves and provide a service to everyone who likes to eat. his dad does a less than mediocre job, always running late (still hasn't planted his barley, maybe won't...), makes insurance claims that in my mind are fraudulent (90% of the time), takes advantage of people (his favorite being his own son), and yet gets away with it all. the hail that hit yesterday demolished conrad's spring wheat crop. the fall wheat is okay, but was also hit hard. the beets look as if someone shot holes in all the leaves (but they will be resilient b/c of the stage they're in/chemicals conrad's putting on). his dad's stuff is so late that it wasn't at all affected by the hail. once again, saved by mediocrity. what is up with this??? isn't there a verse in the Bible about the wicked being prosperous? i know it only means prosperity in this life, and i'm not calling his dad wicked through and through...but. grrrr. sometimes i question things that happen to conrad and i and wonder when (if ever) things will be normal...having a family, financial stability, him reaping the rewards of the excellence he displays in everything he does. i do know i am tremendously blessed in a lot of ways: an amazing husband, an awesome family, great friends, wonderful kids (jack and gracie lou), a beautiful home (though we've comtemplated more than once whether we can keep it or not), and lots of freedoms. one of these days things will look brighter......i've gotta stay believin'. there's my rant and rave, and believe it or not, i held back:)

something to lift the mood...
The owner of a drug store walks in to find a guy leaning heavily against a wall. The owner asks the clerk, "What's with that guy over there by the wall?" The clerk says, "Well, he came in here this morning to get something for his cough. I couldn't find the cough syrup, so I gave him an entire bottle of laxative." The owner says, "You idiot! You can't treat a cough with laxatives!" The clerk says, "Oh yeah? Look at him, he's afraid to cough!"

HAHA!! i needed a laugh tonight:)

my hot farmer man...
in case no one has guessed...and i probably don't say it enough...i am absolutely amazed by and in love with my farmer husband. he's such a hard worker--persistent, demonstrates endurance, and focused. this shows when one looks at his fields. the crops look GREAT this year. they do every year, but there's just something about this year that makes us think that the yields will beat his last 4 years. the rain has been a blessing from God...usually we're paying thousands a month for power to irrigate/crossing our fingers that the dry farm wheat won't burn up/hoping for time together since conrad has to watch and move irrigation systems. this year, he hasn't even turned the irrigation on at the malt barley field, and it looks amazing! God blessed this field, as well, because about 6 weeks ago, conrad and i went to look at it and the dirt was crusted over, inhibiting the seeds from breaking out of the ground. we dug and saw that they had sprouted, but the hard dirt was making them curl back over and stay under. conrad called around and tried an option that was the last resort before reseeding ($3000 just for seed! thank God he didn't have to do it twice!). we were praying this would do the trick and it did! conrad went last week to check on the crop and said he started laughing when he pulled up. i had the same response monday night when we went to see it...here's a few pictures...i think the landscape is just beautiful. he has some barley under a pivot (the round part in the backround) and some under wheel-lines. this is just one of his amazing fields:) thank you, God for your blessing on his farming this year!!

the freshness of it all...
today we went to church at the church conrad grew up in. it's had its share of trials...splits, lack of commitment, etc. attendance has been pretty meager since i can remember going with conrad while we were dating. i've never preferred the worship...old style, slow, everyone sits down. and though the messages are good and the people are sincere, i'll admit i've had a bit of compassion because i know of the trials, but also a bad attitude about me not getting fed when i go there. i've been convicted about it over that last year or two----believe it or not, it's not all about me...who woulda thought?? they got a new pastor about a year ago and he's done an amazing job of bringing what's left of the congregation together, and also in outreaching to the community. a couple followed him to idaho to do youth ministry. the open gym on friday nights has gone from 4 to 40. teens are hungry for positive relationships and for Jesus. there was probably 75 people there today...the most i've ever seen for a sunday morning church service. this is up from the usualy 15-20 a year ago and has been a regular amount for a few months now. there was a special speaker/singer there today who was very in tune with the holy spirit and did a mix of singing songs she and her songwriter have written and talking about different aspects of God/patriotism/etc. people were very touched. i saw some old christians wiping away tears, but most of us sat there and enjoyed the beat of the music (how sad is that...?). what touched me was the response from some of the people who have begun attending this church in the past 6 months or so. grown men weeping, a mother who had come to watch her 14 yr old get baptized got a special word from God, and the overall positive response to the altar call. PEOPLE ARE HUNGRY!! basically what i've been thinking, without going on all day, is that after years of walking with the Lord, i've become complacent. i don't think i'm the only one. we sit in our little church seats and do our weekly "duty" by gracing the church with our presence, paying our tithe (well, studies show 3% of us do) and give ourselves a pat on our back. this is NOT what it's all about. yeah, we have our little "highs" but those are all about us. what if we all started doing things because of JESUS??......reaching out, bringing people, getting involved in our church so we can have programs, speaking positively about our church family, praying faithfully for our leaders, etc, etc. i'm so sick of people (myself included) complaining, but yet not doing anything to change the situation. satan loves complaining, especially about the church/pastor/body, because it makes us weak, individually and corporately. God, bring back the excitement of sharing my faith in you, give me a passion for my little town and for my big town, help me to be a good example, help me to speak positively of my church body and leaders, and help me to draw people to you!!!! because it sure isn't about me.

okay, there's a wee bit of my soap box.....

beware!!...
now that we have a patio, i thought i'd put out a frog solar light that conrad's grandma and uncle gave me for my birthday a few years ago. is it something i would've picked out?? no, but it's pretty cute in its own sort of way and so the other night i took it out and read the instructions (it's supposed to have solar activated lights and such). i found a few of the "important safety instructions" a little over the top:

*dress properly: protective, electrically nonconductive clothes and nonskid footwear are recommended when working with the Smiling Frog Solar Light. wear restrictive hair covering to contain long hair.

*use eye protection: always wear ANSI approved impact safety goggles when setting up this product.

*do not overreach: keep proper footing and balance at all times.

*do not set up the solar light if under the influence of alcohol or drugs: read warning labels on prescriptions to determine if your judgment or reflexes are impaired while taking drugs. if there is any doubt, do not set up the Smiling Frog Solar Light.

*the Smiling Frog Solar Light is not waterproof and must not be set in water such as pools and ponds. (dang, i wanted to bathe with it!)

and last but not least, a disclaimer to release the Smiling Frog Solar Light people of any liability:

*WARNING: the warnings, cautions, and instructions discussed in this instruction manual cannot cover all possible conditions and situations that may occur. it must be understood by the operator that common sense and caution are factors which cannot be built into this product, but must be supplied by the operator.


***couldn't we have said this from the beginning?? too bad many people lack "common" sense, but i guess it gives those of us WITH it a good laugh while reading through the manual for our Smiling Frog Solar Light!!

there is an empty room...
"There is an empty room
In which no child sleeps;
Just a rocking chair, a teddy bear,
The baby clothes they keep.
It is a quiet room
With everything in its place;
But no happy sighs or lullabies,
No child in their embrace.
There is an empty crip
In the corner, tucked away;
The gentle light of the moon shines bright
As they kneel by the crib to pray...
'Remove all bitter thoughts,
Your will is what we seek.
Dry our tears and calm our fears,
Lift us up, for we are weak.'

There is an empty room
In which no child sleeps.
But they know the love of a Father above,
And His promises He keeps."
from When the Cradle is Empty


though i read this poem before when i started to read this book a few months ago, i found it again as i was searching for my own solace, as well as getting the book ready to bring to a friend who miscarried (for the 2nd time). i saw her yesterday for the first time since the loss and as crocodile tears rolled down her face and i embraced her, too choked up for a quick reply, my heart broke. we are both so hopeful for a baby to come into our lives. we both have a room that's waiting--with plans of how to fix it up, we both have some clothes waiting for a little warm body to fill them, and we both are experiencing heartache that's difficult to understand except for by those who have walked the same lonely road. as conrad and i were talking about our plans for our house by priority, he interuppted me as i skipped over a room and said, "isn't the baby's room next?" i know he thinks about it more than he lets on. we will continue to pray for a miracle, whether it be physical (healing in conrad and i) or financial (in-vitro, art.insem, adoption). i also pray for peace, patience, and comfort for every person who is experiencing this type of quiet grief.

perspective...
although i've gone through hard times, and sure i will go through more in the future, God is showing me that i need to not be so self-focused. i learned last weekend that my personality type, "melancholy," can include, to name a few negative sides, negative thinking and self-focus. God help me! last night i heard about a close friend miscarrying. my heart broke. we had already gone shopping for baby clothes and talked oodles about names, nursery ideas, and how excited she and especially her husband were. what a letdown. even though i'm walking the road of infertility, i thank God that i haven't had to walk the miscarriage road. i can't imagine such a loss. then at work today my co-worker got a phone call that her apartment complex was on fire. she left in a hurry to check on her dog who was in the apt. thankfully her husband and 3 girls were gone. she didn't return for hours and when we finally heard back from her, she was in tears as she told my other co-worker over the phone that it was her apartment that was on fire. it started in the kitchen and i'm not sure at this point how far it spread. God, thank you for protecting me from these things and thank you for reminding me to focus outward...

where do your eggs come from???
today i experienced something new. although every day is filled with new knowledge about farm-related things, and weeks usually contain at least one new experience, i have not yet had the pleasure of gathering eggs. although i have been indulging in farm-fresh eggs since conrad's grandma's chickens started laying this fall, i have never hand-picked them myself. today, since the rest of the family was gone, conrad asked if i would go with him to let the geese out and gather eggs. why not?? i felt brave as i stepped into the chicken coop. i didn't let the rooster's loud announcement of a stranger scare me off...no, i was on a mission. i quickly went over where the hens sit and grabbed an egg out of two separate compartments that did not have a mother hen sitting on them. i felt good about things. conrad gracefully reached under a sitting hen and pulled out 2 EGGS! a treasure!! a chicken who was randomly sitting on the "bunk beds" (that's what they're like...different compartments) flew by me screeching. conrad handed me the hot eggs and i added them to my recycled egg carton. then it was my turn to reach under a hen. it took me about 5 minutes to do it, and conrad wouldn't let me out of it, despite my pleading. i finally got up the courage, pulled my sweater sleeve over my hand in case she pecked, and wiggled my fingers to get her to shift her body up so i could grab the prize. this was awkward for all involved. after all this...no egg!! all this suspense and i got the chicken who hadn't yet laid her egg for the day...how rude! oh well, i got some farm-fresh eggs from the others today and have to say that it's fun to see the different eggs--some white, some not; some smooth-shelled, some wrinkly; some oval, some round. never the same egg twice! now i wanna know how the store has them all uniform...genetic engineering?? who knows?? i do wash my eggs before i use them...just because i know the whole process...but that's the least of it. all i know is...i like my eggs and i like that they're free, organic, and tasty!!

this book was EXCELLENT and is highly recommended to anyone in a situation similar to mine. when the cradle is empty:answering tough questions about infertility was written by john and sylvia van regenmorter, a christian couple who dealt with infertility, and gives great perspective from the female and male view. this afternoon i was thinking i'm done with the baby thing...whatever. it's so draining in every sense of the word. you feel emotions you never thought possible. physically you're drained. mentally overwhelmed. spiritually shaken. i could go on and on, but i won't.:) anyway...this book brought some normalcy to my current struggle and i very much appreciated it. although i feel very much alone right now in dealing with this, it was nice to read about others who've gone through the same thing and be assured that i'm not totally crazy (this may still be up for debate...). i'm glad i decided to finish it tonight, as it's very timely and i need God's strength to keep moving forward.

they're everywhere!!!....
everywhere i look, there are pregnant people. i work with one. they're at church. they're my close friends. they're strangers at target. i went to a continuing ed thing yesterday in IF and saw a girl and her hubby that have been at this same training for the 3 years i have. she was pregnant during the first one, had her baby with her for the second one, and was pregnant yesterday. seriously. i pray that one of these days i can BE one of these women. i also talked to a girl i graduated with yesterday and she told me they had adopted a baby because they couldn't get pregnant. they did it 3 years ago and want to have more kids, but just barely paid off the $28,000 bill from the first little guy. i pray that she and her husband will get pregnant (a miracle) or that they'd be blessed in finances!!! God, sometimes i just don't understand you...

but, i WILL trust you...

there's no other way i can deal...

tamales...
living in a town that's 60% hispanic (give or take), i have the benefit of having access to authentic, home-cooked mexican food. last week on thursday, i bought a dozen tamales from a woman who sells them to make money. my co-workers were raving about them, so i gave in. i went to the local grocery store to get some enchilada sauce to put over them, knowing i had cheese at home. i figured i'd follow my co-workers simple instructions for heating up tamales in a very yummy fashion. i was excited to try them and serve them to conrad:) i took about 5 out of the package and put them in a pan. i poured enchilada sauce over them and sprinkled them with cheese. after 10 minutes at 350 degrees, they smelled so good and looked like a masterpiece!

i served a few to conrad and before i could sit down, he said, "i think i'm going to need a knife."
i was like, "okay," and got him a knife.
he then said, "are you sure we're supposed to eat the whole thing?",
to which i responded, "yeah, i think so, no one told me different. it's just a corn husk."
he took a bite and quickly said, "whoa, honey, i don't think you're supposed to eat the outside."

once i started in on my own portion, i quickly realized that someone had failed to mention the minor detail of unwrapping the tamales BEFORE the toppings and BEFORE consumption!! i told my co-workers the next day and they laughed hard. good ice-breaker!! the next day i ate tacos and burritos with homemade tortillas...i ate too many, they were SO good. yeah for yummy mexican food!! however, i do need to limit my self so i don't get a mc-bellyache!!